Scope/Objectives
The Innovation Promotion Agency of Brazil (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovação Industrial – EMBRAPII), with the support of ApexBrasil and the Swiss Innovation Agency – Innosuisse, are pleased to announce the 5th edition of the TechMakers Brazil-Switzerland bilateral call for joint R&D project outlines. The proposals sought should contribute to the development of ready-to-market solutions for products, technology-based services, or methods that hold significant market potential in both Brazil and Switzerland. While the call is open to all scientific disciplines, projects in the following topics are particularly appreciated:
- Biotech; Medtech; Healthtech
- Agritech and Foodtech
- Bioeconomy; Circular economy
- Climatech and Sustainability
- Cleantech; Clean energy & water
- Digitalization; Industry 4.0; Advanced materials
- Innovation and creativity (social, technical, cultural)
- Mobility
Eligibility criteria
All proposals must meet following eligibility criteria to be qualified for evaluation
- The project duration must be between 18 and 36 months.
- The project consortium must include at least one business entity from each country (Brazil and Switzerland) and one research institute accredited by EMBRAPII as “EMBRAPII unit”.
- Participation of other research organisations and other commercial companies from both countries is welcome in accordance with the funding regulations of each country.
- The research organisations and commercial companies must comply with the regulations of their respective countries.
- To ensure that projects promote genuine international collaboration rather than internal company research, affiliated companies will be considered as a single entity under the parent company. Each Brazilian registered organisation involved in an application must be a separate legal entity, not linked to the Swiss partners or vice versa.
- The project must demonstrate a relevant innovation content, added value and benefit from the bilateral cooperation in both countries.
- No country may contribute more than 70% of the total person-months to the project. Person-months is the measure of the time in months that staff will devote to the project.
- A draft consortium agreement, including intellectual property rights (IPR), must be submitted with the proposal.
- Both agencies will only consider project costs incurred in their country as eligible. Cross-border funding is not foreseen.
Only proposals meeting all eligibility criteria will be considered for evaluation. There will be no opportunity to correct errors in the proposals after the application deadline.
Please note that the inclusion of an ineligible partner in a proposal will result in the entire proposal not being considered.
Evaluation criteria - Innosuisse, Switzerland
Research where downstream application is for national defence or security purposes, as well as research that poses a threat to public health and misuse of personal data will not be supported.
Project Quality
- Clear and well defined project
- Realistic and quantifiable objectives and milestones
- Justification of proposed approach and resources
Project Consortia
The project partners should demonstrate:
- Complementary technological excellence, expertise
- Added-value of international cooperation
- Strong partnership base and commitment to continue working together beyond the duration of the project
- Management ability to successfully carry out the project and implement the results
- Mutual advancement of R&D through the transfer of knowledge and expertise
Degree of Innovation
The innovation aspect of a project must go beyond the international state of the art. The innovation project should be scientifically based and aim to achieve advances in technology or service aspects. The main objectives in terms of product, process or service performance and cost issues (in terms of competitiveness) must be presented in a comprehensive manner.
Market Value Creation
The project aims to create a new value chain, or to integrate into an existing one. There must be a market and implementation plan for the proposed product, process or service.
Evaluation Criteria - EMBRAPII, Brazil
The EMBRAPII Units decide autonomously on the use of the EMBRAPII funding for their contribution to an innovation project in cooperation with a business operating in Brazil. Therefore, the scope of a project must be in line with the expertise of one of the EMBRAPII Units in Brazil (please see https://embrapii.org.br/unidades-embrapii/). Additional EMBRAPII requirements are the following:
- The Brazilian part of the project must address an industrial need and involve one or more industrial partners.
- The international cooperation should provide significant added-value
- The “Technology Readiness Level” (TRL) should range from experimental proof-of-concept (TRL 3) to technology demonstrated in relevant environment (TRL 6). Projects co-financed by the Brazilian Development Bank – BNDES, can be in the range of 7 to 9 on the TRL scale
- The Brazilian part of the project must be developed/managed by an EMBRAPII unit.
Please refer to the 2024 Joint Call Guidelines for more specific information.
